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ALE Locksmiths:
Locksmithing Life in London
» MATTHEW STYLIANOU OF ALE Locksmiths has built a strong reputation through reliability, hard work, and a willingness to adapt. Balancing emergency callouts and navigating London’ s parking and traffic issues, fair pricing and making a profit.
My Journey into Locksmithing
My dad was already locksmithing when I started getting involved with him. At the time, I was at university studying engineering and later I did a contract job in the field. After that, I went home for a while, where my dad owned a shoe repair shop that also offered key cutting. When he sold the shop and was deciding what to do long-term, he started working as a mobile locksmith for just a few hours a day. Thanks to his existing customer base from the shop, he quickly got very busy.
Having worked in the family shop, I had experience cutting keys and even making Chubb keys by hand. In my free time, I also helped my dad with bookkeeping. Eventually, I made a big decision not to go back into engineering but to commit fully to locksmithing. The freedom of being self-employed was a game changer. At first, it felt like complete independence, but I soon realised it was much more than that— it was building a real business. The difference between working for someone else and working for myself was night and day. No matter what, I was determined to put in my best effort, knowing that I would reap all the rewards of my hard work.
One of the things I love most about this job is the variety— it allows me to travel, meet a wide range of people, and form deep connections both within and outside the industry. Compared to my previous office-based work, where I was stuck in one place, now I’ m covering 40,000 miles a year in my van, seeing all walks of life. It’ s raw— I see the best and worst of situations. I’ ve been a locksmith now for nine years.
Now, at 31, I find myself doing a lot of repair work after other locksmiths have wrecked people’ s doors. But I’ ve learned that if you treat people with respect, they’ re usually OK— it’ s all about how you approach them. I still work occasionally with my dad who is semi-retired at 70 and my mom is my personal assistant.
Challenges & Work Structure Running a 24 / 7 locksmith service is demanding. I have a part-time employee who works three days a week, plus two additional locksmiths who cover areas I can’ t reach. While I’ m committed to being reliable and getting to jobs when I say I will, being on call can be tough— it limits personal freedom, like not being able to have a drink in case an emergency call comes in. We’ re like plumbers in that sense— always on call.
Multi-point locks are another frustration. They’ re mass-produced with poor quality, so even when I replace them like-for-like, I can’ t guarantee they won’ t fail again. It’ s not my absolute passion, but with my engineering background, locksmithing aligns with what I enjoy— problem-solving, hands-on work, and getting around the city.
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FEBRUARY 2025
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